Safety device for elevators.



J. s. VREELAND & E. 'L. D000.

SAFETY DEVICE'FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3. I915. I

Patented June 13, 1916.

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J. S. VREELAND & E. L. 0000.

SAFETY DEVICEFOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3. 1915.

1,1 86,715. Patented June 13, 1916.

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I at: COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON. D c.

JESSE S. VREELAND AND EDWIN L. IDODID, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

Application filed June 3, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Jnssn S. VREELAND and EDWIN L. Donn, citizens of the United States, and residents of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain Improvements in Safety Devices for Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to means for controlling the operation of the gates or doors which close the gateway or openings leading to elevator shafts, although the same may be employed for firedoors or in fact wherever the device is found desirable and applicable.

The invention inheres more particularly to that class of door controlling devices which are semi-automatic, that is, in which the door is opened manually and held in open position by the controlling device if the elevator is located at that particular floor, but released so as to close automati cally when the ear leaves that floor.

The objects of the invention are to provide an improved safety device of this character; to employ a single cam on the elevator for unlocking the gate and for holding it open; to retain the locking bolt retracted until the gate is closed or substantially closed; to provide a device which may be applied to either right or left hand side of the doorway; to provide a device adapted for use with either vertically or horizontally slidable doors; to secure simplicity of construction and operation, and toobtain othei" ad vantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several views; Figure 1 is a perspective view of a safety device embodying our invention mounted in a gateway and showing a gate substantially in closed position; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the gate and elevator showing the device in elevation and locking the gate closed, and Fig. 3 is a similar section show-- ing the elevator opposite the floor and the safety device holding the gate raised.

In the specific embodimentof the invention illustrated in said drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates the elevator shaft extending through the several floors 2 of the building and provided on each floor with a gate or door 3 adapted to close the gateway 4. Said gate may close either by sliding ver- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1916.

Serial No. 31,803.

tically or sliding horizontally as is common in the art, but for illustrative purposes we have shown the same slidable vertically so that by raising the same the gateway is opened and by lowering it the gateway is closed, and preferably the gate is arranged to be closed by gravityor otherwise unless positively held open. Moving vertically in the shaft 1 is an elevator car 5, which, together with its raising and lowering mechanism, may be of any suitable and approved construction.

Pivotally secured to the side frame 6 of the gateway, between the gate and elevator car, is a lever 7 having a forked upper end 8 rotatably carrying a wheel 9. Preferably the wheel rotates and the lever swings in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the gate or parallel to the frame 6 to which it is attached so that its ends will swing toward and away from the elevator. Furthermore the fork or upper end of the lever is bent toward the elevator so as to position the wheel 9 close thereto. To the lower end of the lever 7 is pivotally attached one end of a locking bolt 10 the opposite end of which is adapted to enter into a keeper 11 on the gate and hold the gate closed. As the lever 7 is swung the bolt 10 is withdrawn from the keeper, at which time the gate may be opened. Guiding means are provided for the bolt such as the groove 12 in a block 13 secured to the frame 6, a portion 14E of said block overlying the boltsoas to prevent the same from lateral displacement from the groove. The bolt is' provided with a longitudinal rib 15 upon its outwardly facing side providing a shoulder 16 at the end thereof toward the keeper and means are provided for engaging said shoulder after the bolt has been retracted and the gate raised so as to prevent the bolt from engaging the gate again before the latter is closed.

Such retaining means are illustrated as a I swinging arm 17 pivoted as at 18 between vertical guide plates 19, 19 so as to swing in a plane substantially parallel to the gate. Said arm crosses the bolt 10 near. its free end and is drawn toward the same by a spring 20 at its upper end normally resting on the longitudinal rib 15 thereof so that as r again. By this means the bolt is positively prevented from engaging the gate or entering the keeper until the arm 17 is swung outwardly allowing the rib to pass thereunder. As shown in the drawings the arm 17 is pivoted at a point below the plate 15 and below the point of pivoting it slopes outwardly away from the frame 6 providing a cam surface 21. A suitable bracket or trip 22 secured upon the gate is adapted to engage the cam surface 21 and swing the arm 17 as the gate approaches its closed position, whereby the mere closing of the gate will allow the bolt to slide into the keeper 11. A suitable spring 23 is adapted to draw the lower end of the lever 7 toward the gate, so that when the bolt is released the same may be'slid home in the keeper 11.

In order to automatically retract the bolt and allow the gate to be opened when the elevator is opposite the floor 2 of the building,

a cam 24 is fixed on the elevator adapted to engage the wheel 9- and press it towardthe gate, thereby swinging the lever, the relation of said cam to the'device and the floor of the elevator being such that the lever is swung only when the floor of the elevator is substantially opposite the floor of the building. When the elevator leaves the floor it will be obvious that the cam no longer holds normally close by gravity and means are provided for holding the gate open after being manually raised as long as the elevator is opposite the floor, said means allowing the gate to closeas soon as theelevator leaves the floor. Such means are shown in the drawings as comprising a transverse detent pawl 25 extending toward the gate and pivoted for convenience upon the same stud 26 upon which is fulcrumed the lever 7. Said pawl is provided with a weighted end 27 below the pivotal mounting thereof and extending toward the elevator in such relation thereto that when the cam 24 on the elevator is opposite said pawl the weighted end 27 thereof will engage said cam and prevent the end of the pawl pointing toward the gate from swinging downward. However, as the elevator is raised or lowered the weighted end 27 will no longer be in engagement with the cam so that any weight upon said end of the pawl toward the gate will swing said end downward. Near the bottom of; the gate is a bracket 28 adapted to overlie the end of said floor of the building are substantially in the same plane at which time the cam 24 engages the wheel 9, swings the lever 7 there by retracting the bolt 10 .and unlocking the gate which may then be raised; Opening the gate releases the trip from the arm 17 which may then swing under the action of its spring inwardly and retain the bolt in retracted position temporarily after departure of the elevator. In opening the gate the same may be raised until the bracket 28 engages the pawl 25 swinging the same upwardly so as to pass thereabove, after which the weighted end 27 returns the pawl 25 in the path of the bracket 28 so that when the gate is released the bracket 28 will rest upon the pawl 25, said pawl being prevented from swinging downward by engagement of the weighted end 27 with thecam-24 on the elevator. As soon as the elevator ismoved up or down the cam 2a disengages the weighted end 27 of the pawl 25 thereby releasing the bracket and allowing the gate to lower. The bracket 22' on the gate when in substantially closed position engages the cam surface 21 of the arm 17 swinging the upper end of said arm outward so as to release the bolt 10 which is thereupon drawn by its spring 23 toward the gate so as to enter the keeper 11 when in registration therewith.

Preferably a protecting or cover plate 29 is provided to overlie the lever 7 bolt 10 and other parts comprising the device. As shown, the cover plate is cutaway at its lower edge permitting the lower cam end of the arm 17 to project outwardly therefrom and in order that theplate may be used on either right or left hand sides of the door a similar cut away portion is provided at the opposite edge of the plate. stud '26 carrying the pawl 25 projects through the plate 29 and the pawl is mounted thereon outside of the plate. A cotter pin 30 or other suitable means retains the.

Also the i said pawl upon the stud butat the same time allows the pawl to be removed toreverse the same if it is desired to use the device upon the opposite side of the door;

Obviously detail modifications and changes may be made in the manufacture of our improved safety deyice without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves except as required by the following, claims when construed in the light when the elevator leaves the floor, a bolt mounted on the face of the j amb of the gateway to slide transversely of the gate and engage the same to lock it closed, a spring normally holding said bolt in looking position, a detent also mounted on the jamb of the gateway and normally engaging said locking bolt to hold the same released,'said detent adapted to be engaged by the gate in closing to release it from said locking bolt, a lever fulcrumed on the jamb of the gateway to swing parallel thereto one end of said lever being connected to said locking bolt and the other end being free and adapted to be engaged by said cam on the elevator to retract said locking bolt as the elevator is brought opposite the gateway, and a pawl adjacent said free end of the lever adapted to be also engaged by said cam as the elevator is brought opposite the gateway and having a part adapted to engage and hold the gate open as long as the cam engages the pawl and to swing and release the gate so the same may close as soon as thecam disengages the pawl.

2. The combination with an elevator having a cam, of a floor gate for closing the gateway adapted to automatically close when the elevator leaves the floor, a bolt mounted on the face of the j amb of the gateway to slide transversely of the gate and engage the same to lock it closed, a spring normally holding said bolt in looking position, a detent also mounted on the jamb of the gateway and normally engaging said locking bolt to hold the same released, said detent adapted to be engaged by the gate in way, and a pawl mounted upon the same fulcrum with the lever to swing in a plane parallel thereto and adapted to be engaged by the same earn as the lever and while so engaged to hold the gate open and when released therefrom adapted to swing and release the gate so as to permit it to close.

JESSE S. VREELAND. EDWIN L. DODD.

(topics of thin patent may be obtained for fiveoents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington. D. 0." i 

